Epidendrum ardens Kraenzel 1906 Photo courtesy of Carlos Hajek and his Peruvian Orchid Page

Flower closeup Photo courtesy of Weyman Bussey

Inflorescence to to

Common Name

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

Found in Peru at elevations of 2000 to 4150 meters as a reed stem, medium to large sized, cool to cold growing, epiphyte or lithophyte in cold wet cloud forests at elevations of 2000 to 4150 meters with long, straggly, frequently branching stems enveloped basally by tubular sheaths and carries a few, erect, imbricating, lanceolate, acute, carinate, conduplicate below, dark green leaves suffused with purple and subtended by purple persistent sheaths that blooms on a subapical, laxly pendant, densly many [10 to 14] flowered inflorescence with narrowly lanceolate acuminate floral bracts that cover half of the ovary all occuring in the summer through fall.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 633 Bennett & Christenson 2001